Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-11-11

gathered in February, March and April,
although in mild moist ,winters the vio1ets
| commence as early as December; roses and
| orange blossoms, with thyme and rosemary,
| in May and June iasmines and tuberoses
| in July and August; lavender and spike
nard in September, and acacia in October
and November. The flower harvest covers,
| therefore, about three fourths of the year,
but the season Of greatest activity is May
| and June, when the roses and orange blos-
SONS are gathered. Thyme, rosemary and
| lavender are among the minor products
grown principally by small farmers of the
grape and olive, who have at home the sim
pie apparatus for distilling the flowers; and
they produce a more or less inferior class of
essences, which are used to dilute and adul-
terate the superior essences produced at
the large establishments in towns and vii
lagos
Consul Mason of Marseilles, in recent re-
port upon flower farming in southern France,
says that the condition of industrial success
in flower growing can be best studied from a
specific example, and he quotes the case of
plantation at Seillans, in the Department of
the Var. This farm is about twenty-three
acres in extent, and is situated in the south
ern slope of the hills about 1900 feet above
the level of the Mediterranean, and at dis
tance of twenty miles from the coast. The
caloereous soil was originally naturally poor
and thin, and the olive trees which had oc
cupied the ground for a century or more
prior to 1881 yielded but scanty and unsatis-
factory returns. The slope of the surface
was SO steep that the waters of a spring
which flows from the rocks above the track
could be but imperfectly utilized for irri-
cation, and the land was regarded as practi-
cally worthless. In 1881 the proprietor
caused the olive trees to be removed and the
land prepared for flower culture. The ground
was first dug up to depth of four feet, the
larey CRT I,,-S1
tanning walls for the terraces, into which
| the surface was divided. and leyelled. Along
the upper margin of each terrace shallow
ditch was cut, connecting with transverse
channels, which supply the spring water
| for irrigation. The abruptness of the slope
will be indicated by the fact on the tract
of eighteen acres the terrace walls required
to produce a series of level or gently slop-
ing surfaces are over 1900 yards in length.
Thus terraced, the tract yielded about sew
enteen acres of prepared ground for planting.
In the autumn of 1881 45, 900 tufts of Yioiets
and 140, 900 roots of the white jasmine
| were planted The following spring the
| remainder of the ground was planted with
roses, pelargoniums, tuberoses and jonquils,
and a labratory erected for the manufac-
| ture of the perfumes. The position proved
to have been well chosen, as the flowers
grew vigorously and well; and in 1885, the
fourth year after planting, this farm, which
had previously yielded rental of e23
year, produced perfumes valued at eS, $50,
giving a net profit of FL ,553. This is suff1-
cient to illustrate how lucrative flower farming
may become in favorable districts and under
good management.
From observations in Seillans and in the
peighborhood of Grasso, where perfume
| flower growing is the leading industry, Con-
sui Mason says that the essential conditions
appear to be an altitude of from 500 to 1000
feet. Flowers grown on such elevated posi-
A. l. A.,
similar varieties which bloom in valleys and
| lowlands; a situation sheltered from cold
northern winds and not subject to the white
frosts which in spring and autumn affect
the damp lowlands. In countries like south
ern France, where the rainfall is always
scanty, and often wanting entirely from May
until September, irrigation is essential to
the culture of flowers well of every
other crop. 1t is said the perfume growers
and distillers on the Mediterranean coast at
tribute their success not less to the peculiar
climate of Provence than to their knowledge
of every detail of the industry-a knowledge
acquired by more than century of expert
ence, and transmitted from generation to
generation.
One essential principle in perfume culture
| is that all fancy and improved varieties of
flowers discarded and the natural, sim
pie, oId-fashioned kinds are exclusively
| grown. The roses on the slopes of Seillans
| are the common pink ones. and the single
white violet is preferred to all the larger
tifeially developed varieties. Only the white
| jasmine is used, the yellow and less fragrant
variety appearing to be either discarded or
unknown. Jasmine plants set in rows
about ten inches apart and are closely
pruned. Roses are grown on the lower ter
races and are also cut low and the ground
between the plants heavily manured. After
the roses have been gathered the stem is cut
| to within few inches of the ground to pre-
Fo,@ @1oa-, ,czyEc -
the plant.
During the harvest season traders or mid
die men go through the country every day
with wagons, collecting flowers from the
farms, for which they pay prices varying
according to the extent of the crop and the
demands of the market; their loads are hur-
ried to the nearest manufacturers and deliv-
cred while the flowers are still fresh and
crisp. The flowers are gathered in the morn
| ing, as soon as possible after the dews of the
night have disappeared.
The manufacture of perfumes includes the
| making of pomades and oils by the process
of absorption, and of essences and essential
oils by distillation. Every complete estab
hshment is provided with apparatus for all
| these processes. Pomades are the CONNER
| cial vehicles for absorbing and transporting
/ the perfumes of the jonquil, tuberose, jas
| mine and other species of flowers. A
| square frame or chassis of white wood,
| about twenty inches by thirty inches in size,
/ is set with pane of strong plate glass. On
| either side of the glass IS set thin, even
| layer of grease-two parts lard to one of tai
| low-which has been purified and refined by
previous boiling and straining Thus pre-
pared the frames are piled up in ranks of six
| or seven feet high to await the season of each
| special flower. When the blossoms arrive
| the petals are picked from the stems and laid
so as to cover the grease in each frame.
| These being again piled so as to rest upon
I kbair vrrh;o h
er, there is formed species of tight cham
| bers, the floors and ceilings of which are of
| grease exposed to the perfume of the flower
leaves within; the grease absorbs the per-
| fume; the spent flowers removed daily
and fresh ones supplied, and this process
/ goes on from two to four or five months,
| according to the desired strength of the po-
made, which, when sufficiently charged
with perfume, is taken from the glass with
a wide thin spatula. and packed in tin cans
or stagnons for export. By these methods
| the delicate odors of flowers extracted
| and retained for transport to distant mar
kets, where the grease, being treated with
| alcohol, yields the perfume to the stronger
vehicle and produces the floral waters and
| extracts of commerce. Coarse pomades are
made by boiling the flowers in the grease
i and subiecting the residue to pressure. The
| spent pomades are used for toilet purposes
/ and in the manufacture of fine soaps. The
| process of preparing perfumed oils involves
the same principle, except that instead of
solid grease superfne olive oil is used.
| With this oil pieces of coarse cotton fabric
are saturated, which are then spread upon
wire netting framed in wire chassis about
| three feet by four in size. The flowers are
| spread upon the saturated cloths and the
| frames piled one upon another, SO that the
perfume of the flowers is absorbed as in the
previous process. Essences and scents are
| produced by ordinary distillation, in which
l fba dpuyara ara hoilad with water in large
alembics; the vapor carries off the perfume
and is condensed in adjoining copper tanks.
| Some of the retorts used for this purpose are
| of sufficient size to receive at once half
i ton of fresh flowers and the requisite water
/ for their distillation. When scents are to be
produced alcohol is used in the distilling
| tank to receive the perfumes. By skillful
| combinations of the perfumes of different
| flowers, sometimes with the additions of
chemicals, large variety of scents such as
| ''patchoulir and Jockey club are produced
at the original laboratory.
The work of the manufactures is largely